Beyoncé releases new album 'Renaissance,' first solo project in six years

July 29 (UPI) -- Beyoncé released her highly anticipated new album Renaissance on Friday, marking the singer's first new solo project in six years.

The album is slated to be the first act of a three-part collection from the star.

Beyoncé released a short promotional video to mark the release of Renaissance, and also wrote about her experience creating the album on her website.

"This three-act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic," Beyoncé said. "A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative."

"Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving," she continued. "It was a beautiful journey of exploration."

Beyoncé first revealed to Harper's Bazaar that she was developing a new album in August 2021, saying that she had been working on its production for the past year.

"I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible," she told the outlet. "I've been in the studio for a year and a half...yes, the music is coming!"

Marking the singer's first studio album since 2016's Lemonade, Beyoncé dropped one of Renaissance's new tracks, "Break My Soul," in June as a preview.

While Beyoncé is well known for the security and secrecy surrounding her projects, the entire Renaissance album leaked online two days before its release after arriving in the European market.

Beyoncé addressed the album's leak in a post on her Instagram page, thanking the fans who waited until the official release to listen to Renaissance.

"So the album leaked, and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you all can enjoy it together," she said. "I've never seen anything like it. I can't thank y'all enough for your love and protection. I appreciate you calling out anyone that was trying to sneak into the club early."

Born in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé got her start in the 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups.

She released her debut solo album in 2003, and would embark on a full-time solo career following the breakup of Destiny's Child three years later.

Beyoncé would become the first solo singer to have six studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200.

The singer has additionally received a number of accolades. This includes becoming the most nominated and awarded singer in Grammy Awards history, with 28 total awards from 79 nominations.

Beyoncé is also well recognized for her marriage to rap icon Jay-Z. The pair have released a slate of work together as the musical duo The Carters.

They released their first studio album together, Everything Is Love, in 2018.